This invention relates to archery bows and more particular to a device for and a method of accurately center-shot positioning of an arrow rest whereby the arrow will fire straight with improved accuracy.
There is a need for properly centering an arrow in an archery bow so that the arrow will shoot correctly, accurately and without diverging from the original sighting line from which it was aimed and shot. This is particularly critical with respect to compound archery bows which were introduced in the late 1960""s and which have undergone much structural change in the last decade and increasing popularity with archers.
One common method employed by archers to try and determine the true center-shot position of a bow is to shoot one unfletched arrow and two or more fletched arrows from the bow and observe the orientation of the shot arrows in the archery target before adjusting the in/out placement of the arrow rest and cushion plunger. Much shooting with its attendant danger and adjusting must be made before the arrows group in the target bale with about the same vertical orientation, indicating a center-shot position. Achieving and retaining a center-shot position for the bow remains a difficultly achievable property (as well as time consuming) continued to be sought by today""s archer.
Another time consuming and crude method of determining the center-shot position is to dangle an arrow from the bowstring while the bow is suspended face down between two supports. The proper position of the rest and/or plunger is then guessed at, the plunger and/or rest are adjusted and the bow is retested until it is corrected to the center-shot position.
There have been numerous patent teachings to improve the accuracy required in the operation of an archery bow. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,088,212 to Smith describes a bow square device for checking the bracing height and locating the nocking points on the bow string comprising an elongated blade being of generally rectangular shape and having an upper straight edge and a lower straight edge, a scale in inches on said blade, a base member of generally rectangular shape being rigidly joined to one end of said blade at right angles thereto in T-shaped relation and having a string contact edge opposite said blade and at right angles to said straight edges, a notch in said contact edge spanning an area intersected by lines projected from said straight edges, a pair of spring clips spaced from one another on said base and projecting outwardly from said string contact edge, said clips forming a clamp for holding the bow string firmly against said contact edge and having a string receiving slot facing in the direction opposite said blade, and a scale in inches on said base adjacent said notch whereby said nock position of the bow string can be realized. It teaches nothing of tuning the center-shot position.
Some 27 years later, Troncoso in U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,137 described a center-shot positioning device obtained by combining an elongated L-shaped arm having a first portion adapted for alignment parallel to the sidewall in the riser section of an archery bow, and a second integral portion adapted to extend transversely of an archery bow towards the bowstring of said bow; means secured to said first portion of said arm for releasable securing said arm to said sidewall of said riser section of said archery bow; and, a means connected to said second portion of said arm for aligning the front end of an archery arrow when the rear end of said arrow is connected to said bowstring of said archery bow, so that said front end and rear end of said arrow are spaced laterally the same distance from and parallel to said rear true sidewall, for rather inadequate center-shot shooting and modestly improved accuracy and arrow flight for the bows of its time.
Other more recent patent literature directed solely to bow sights includes:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,746 by Sappington where a slidingly engaged bracket containing a bow sight is secured to the bow;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,675 by Huang teaches a bow sight of a swivel laser module in combination with a sighting device for night archery;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,054 by Asher teaches a peep bow sight which is positioned on the weapon away from the traditional sighting line with two magnified reference displays; and,
U.S. Pat. No. 6,134,793 by Sauers describes attaching a laser directly to an arrow for a bow sight alignment system.
Another reference which describes a large complicated mechanical bow tuning device is reported in U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,879 by Gifford who first levels his bow and thereafter tunes his archery device by attaching his arrow to the bow and an arrow stabilizer.
In a much more complicated manner than that taught by Smith (earlier referenced with regard to nock positioning), Sands in U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,235 B1 discloses a nock travel indicator which utilizes a pen attached to the bow string whereby the draw of archery bow can be calibrated.
There still remains a need for a simple, efficient, compact archery device which provides an archery arrow rest to be correctly aligned with respect to the bowstring so that upon release of the bowstring, the arrow will fire straight ahead with improved accuracy.
A primary objective of the invention is to develop a simple compact apparatus for temporary mounting on a bow to provide center-shot tuning of the arrow rest in reference to the bow string.
A secondary object of the invention is to provide a simple archery device for aligning of the arrow rest in reference to the bow string.
A third object of the invention is to provide a simple archery device with an improved arrow flight to a target.
A fourth object of the invention is to provide a process for efficient center-shot tuning of a composite archery device whereby its arrow flight is improved.
A fifth object of the invention is to provide a system for providing an optimum arrow rest position by moving an arrow rest so that a visible light source can transverse a substantial length of an arrow shaft that is connected to the nock portion of a bow string.
A preferred embodiment of the invention is a laser rest adjustment fixture hereafter also known as an accu-center fixture that includes a bow mounting plate for said fixture adapted for securing it temporarily to a bow riser, a pivotable light source such as a laser which enables one to laser emission transverse the entire length of the arrow which is attached to the nock of the bow string and positioned on the arrow rest; pivotal means to adjust the arrow rest position in the vertical plane with respect to the bow string; and means for releasing said arrow rest from said pivotal means after it has been positioned whereby said arrow can be laser emission transversed its entire upper surface without deviation there from.
Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.